Scientist explains how fast a tsunami can be in the open ocean

A tsunami in the open ocean can reach the speed of a jetliner - 800 kilometers per hour.

The tsunami slows down to 30–50 kilometers per hour as it approaches shallow water.

The US National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for several Latin American countries following the earthquake in the Panama area.

WASHINGTON, October 9 - RIA Novosti. A tsunami in the open ocean reaches the speed of a jetliner, but as it approaches land, it slows down to 50 kilometers per hour, Mary Malluskey, head of the coordination department of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told RIA Novosti.

The US National Weather Service has issued a tsunami warning for several countries in Latin America after a magnitude 8 earthquake struck Panama at a depth of about 34 kilometers. The threat exists for the western part of the American continents from Mexico to Peru.

"The speed of a tsunami depends on the depth of the water where it occurs. The deeper the seabed, the faster the tsunami. In the open ocean, tsunamis can reach the speed of a jetliner - 800 kilometers per hour, crossing the entire ocean in less than a day," Mallasky said.